Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum smashed Eliud Kipchoge’s course record to win the men’s 2023 London Marathon in the second-fastest time ever.
23-year-old Kiptum was just 16 seconds outside compatriot Kipchoge’s world record, finishing in two hours one minute 25 seconds.
While Sifan Hassan did produce a remarkable run to win the women’s race.
The Dutch Olympic track champion, now 30, suffered hip injury but battled to win on her debut at the distance.
Kiptum knocked one minute and 12 seconds off Kipchoge’s previous course record to beat second-placed compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor by almost three minutes.
Hassan, who won the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, appeared out of the women’s race after dropping back early on with a hip problem, but somehow fought back.
She then produced a sprint finish to win in two hours 18 minutes 33 seconds.
The race had more than 47,000 runners took part in the marathon, raising millions of pounds for charity, with huge crowds lining the streets of London despite damp conditions.
The A-list marathon returned to it’s traditional date in the calendar which is April since after the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.
Writing by Tersoo Nicholas